Cover story:

More about Judy & Abigail

Michael Watson (right), The Lutheran's art director, blogged about photographing Judy and Abigail Garrison.

Read his blog ...

Be a 'candle': Get involved

• Learn more about hunger through the ELCA World Hunger Program and Lutheran World Relief’s Virtual University (a monthly online class) and study visits.
• Take the ELCA World Hunger Appeal $5 Challenge. If every baptized ELCA member gave $5 to the appeal, a $25 million goal will be reached.
• Give to Stand With Africa to assist communities and churches in their work to overcome HIV/AIDS, banish hunger and build peace.
• Join the ELCA e-advocacy network to take action on social policy issues related to domestic and international hunger, poverty and the environment.
• Use the ELCA Good Gifts catalog for alternative gift suggestions related to water, agriculture, women and children, training and education, health care and other issues.
• Participate in Bread for the World’s Offering of Letters campaign, March through August 2008, to advocate for more funding for foreign aid programs and for passage of the Global Poverty Act (800-82-BREAD).
• Take the Food Stamp Challenge to better understand the challenge that millions of low-income Americans face in obtaining a healthy diet on the national average food stamp benefit of $1 per person, per meal.
• Join the One Campaign to fight global poverty, hunger and disease.
• Participate in a CROP walk to raise money for local and international hunger projects.
• Learn about the connection between lifestyle and hunger—how to simplify your lifestyle, “challenge consumerism, live justly and celebrate responsibly” (Alternatives for Simple Living, 800-821-6153).
• Purchase fair-trade items, such as coffee, chocolate and handcrafts.
• Participate in the “Souper Bowl of Caring” on the same Sunday as the NFL’s Super Bowl (Feb. 3 this year). Collect money and/or cans of food to support local, national and international anti-hunger efforts.
• Consider holding a world hunger appeal emphasis on a Sunday close to World Food Day, Oct. 16.

Hunger by the numbers

• Every day almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes—one child every five seconds.
• 854 million people are hungry.
• In developing nations, one person in six goes hungry and lacks safe drinking water.
• Nearly 36 million Americans—including more than 12 million children—live in households that experience hunger. This represents more than one in 10 households in the U.S.
• In 2006, 26.7 million people participated in the food stamp program each month (8.6 percent of the U.S. population).
• The wealthiest fifth of the world’s people consumes 86 percent of all goods and services, while the poorest fifth consumes 1 percent.

Sources: ELCA Hunger Program, Bread for the World, Church World Service

'My biggest fear is becoming homeless'

Judy Garrison, 43, a disabled single parent from Belvidere, Ill., and her daughter, Abigail, 11, rely on the Belvidere/Boone County Food Pantry, Capron, Ill., to help with food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, toys, books, clothing and household items. Last year the pantry received a $2,500 relief grant from the ELCA World Hunger Program, which supports pantries and other services for the hungry through its domestic hunger grants. Last year the program distributed $913,000 to hunger relief organizations in nearly all 65 synods.

Here, Judy Garrison shares her story.

Judy Garrison and her daughter, Abigail, and many other Americans like them, live with the constant challenge of making a dollar stretch and with depending on others for the necessities of life. Thanks to two food pantries with Lutheran connections, they're making ends meet-just barely.

My biggest fear is becoming homeless. I understand completely how people can end up homeless, I really do. They can become disabled or lose their job. It’s not negligence, it’s a lack of help. If you don’t have family or friends to rely on, it’s easy to end up on the streets.

Fifteen years ago my doctor diagnosed me with degenerative disc disease, a disorder that typically afflicts the elderly. Since then my symptoms have progressively worsened to the point where I need help taking a shower, washing and combing my hair, and putting on my socks and shoes. It bothers me that I’m unable to keep my house as clean. I can’t vacuum, do laundry or dishes, or stand for long to cook a full meal. I can only sit at the computer or in the car for a short while unless I take medication, and then I am too heavily medicated to do anything.

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